PARIS: Rarely on the podium and barred from the opening ceremony, the 15 Russians competing at the Paris Olympics have an uneasy status as “Individual Neutral Athletes” following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Some in the Olympic Village opposed them taking part in the Summer Games, and Russian opinion is divided. In Russia, the Olympics aren’t being shown on TV and some politicians and media figures have even described those willing to compete in Paris as traitors.It’s a complex environment for the athletes, some of them teenagers, to navigate and they’re wary of talking about politics or the war. “My family is proud of me, that’s all that matters,” said tennis player Diana Shnaider.
The 20-year-old former college player for North Carolina State said it was “amazing” to be at her first Olympics. “There are still a lot of people from my country in the stands… I heard words of encouragement today,” she said after winning in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Tennis players like Shnaider and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev are used to dealing with the media and playing around the world without a Russian flag. Others seem a little overwhelmed. Anzhela Bladtceva, a 19-year-old trampolinist, placed fifth in her event Friday and clutched a stuffed animal as she spoke with media afterward. “There are so many emotions, so many people, everyone is so kind and happy and so helpful,” she said.
National delegations sailed down the Seine River on a flotilla of boats in the opening ceremony, but the neutral athletes weren’t included. “It’s upsetting that they didn’t let us, but what can you do?” said Bladtceva. Of the 32 “neutral” athletes in Paris, 17 previously represented Belarus and just 15 represented Russia. That’s compared to more than 300 Russians at the last Summer Games in Tokyo. International Olympic Committee restrictions barred Russian athletes who are in the military or publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC also blocked Russians from team sports. Track and field enforced its own blanket ban.
In gymnastics and weightlifting, Russia’s teams skipped qualifying events in protest of being forced to compete as neutrals or to undergo vetting, including checks of their social media. Some athletes even qualified, accepted their IOC invitations, then withdrew weeks before Olympics began. It wasn’t clear whether they made that decision under pressure.
When a neutral athlete wins a gold medal, an “anthem” commissioned by the IOC plays: More like the soundtrack to an inspirational video. Their medals don’t count in Olympics’ official table. At least 82 athletes at the Paris Olympics were born in Russia, including the neutral athletes. That leaves more than 60 competing for other nations. Some have lived outside Russia for years or moved abroad as children. Others switched their sporting allegiance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some Ukrainians view changes of allegiance with suspicion, too. Fencing champion Olga Kharlan said last month that Russian athletes who switched allegiance to other countries’ teams after the invasion “should be checked more”.
The 20-year-old former college player for North Carolina State said it was “amazing” to be at her first Olympics. “There are still a lot of people from my country in the stands… I heard words of encouragement today,” she said after winning in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Tennis players like Shnaider and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev are used to dealing with the media and playing around the world without a Russian flag. Others seem a little overwhelmed. Anzhela Bladtceva, a 19-year-old trampolinist, placed fifth in her event Friday and clutched a stuffed animal as she spoke with media afterward. “There are so many emotions, so many people, everyone is so kind and happy and so helpful,” she said.
National delegations sailed down the Seine River on a flotilla of boats in the opening ceremony, but the neutral athletes weren’t included. “It’s upsetting that they didn’t let us, but what can you do?” said Bladtceva. Of the 32 “neutral” athletes in Paris, 17 previously represented Belarus and just 15 represented Russia. That’s compared to more than 300 Russians at the last Summer Games in Tokyo. International Olympic Committee restrictions barred Russian athletes who are in the military or publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC also blocked Russians from team sports. Track and field enforced its own blanket ban.
In gymnastics and weightlifting, Russia’s teams skipped qualifying events in protest of being forced to compete as neutrals or to undergo vetting, including checks of their social media. Some athletes even qualified, accepted their IOC invitations, then withdrew weeks before Olympics began. It wasn’t clear whether they made that decision under pressure.
When a neutral athlete wins a gold medal, an “anthem” commissioned by the IOC plays: More like the soundtrack to an inspirational video. Their medals don’t count in Olympics’ official table. At least 82 athletes at the Paris Olympics were born in Russia, including the neutral athletes. That leaves more than 60 competing for other nations. Some have lived outside Russia for years or moved abroad as children. Others switched their sporting allegiance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some Ukrainians view changes of allegiance with suspicion, too. Fencing champion Olga Kharlan said last month that Russian athletes who switched allegiance to other countries’ teams after the invasion “should be checked more”.
Source : Times of India
